Regents examinations are a series of statewide, end-of-course standardized tests administered by the New York State Education Department (NYSED) under the authority of the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York. New York high school students have historically been required to pass five of these exams (in English language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies) to earn a Regents Diploma, the standard credential for high school graduation in the state. A more demanding Regents Diploma with Advanced Designation is also available, as are local diploma options for certain students with disabilities. Scores are reported on a 0–100 scale, with 65 the standard passing mark. Following a multiyear review by a state-appointed commission, the Board of Regents voted in November 2024 to phase out the exams as a graduation requirement, with the change taking effect for the 2027–28 school year.
Each exam is developed by a committee of New York teachers in the relevant subject, who draft a test map from the state's learning standards over a cycle that typically spans three years from initial design to administration. Exams are offered in January, June, and August, with June serving as the primary sitting for most subjects. Raw scores are converted to scale scores through a statistical equating process that is recalibrated for each administration, with conversion charts published alongside answer keys by NYSED.
The examination system originated in 1865, when the Board of Regents introduced preliminary exams as a basis for distributing state funds to secondary academies. High school end-of-course exams followed in 1878, beginning with five subjects: algebra, American history, Latin, natural philosophy, and physical geography. The program expanded considerably through the twentieth century and was substantially reformed in the 1990s, when Commissioner Richard Mills made the Regents Diploma the sole standard diploma for most students by phasing out the less rigorous local diploma option. Further revision came with the adoption of Common Core standards in the 2010s, a period marked by significant public backlash and a growing parental opt-out movement, before most exam administrations were cancelled during the COVID-19 pandemic.
History of exams The first Regents examinations were administered in November 1866. In 1878, the Regents Examination system was expanded to assess the curricula taught in the secondary schools of New York, and the Regents exams were first administered as high school end-of-course exams. From the original five exams (algebra, Latin, American History, natural philosophy [science], natural geography), the State Education Department expanded the Regents exams offerings to forty-two tests in 1879; tests were administered in November, February, and June. In 1901, Regents exams were given in rhetoric, civics, economics, Caesar, Virgil, Xenophon, and physiology.
Throughout the 1920s and into the 1930s vocational education Regents exams were approved and administered. These included but were not limited to, agricultural science, costume draping, and salesmanship. By 1970 the number and types of Regents exams changed to reflect the changes in high school curriculum: vocational exams were discontinued, and the sheer number of exams were either dropped or consolidated as the curricular emphasis trended toward comprehensive examinations rather than the singularly focused tests of the past. This trend continued into the twenty-first century, with the cancellation of foreign language exams in 2010 and 2011.
In 1979, Regents Competency Tests were introduced for all students. In order to graduate, students had to pass the RCT OR the Regents exam. Later, they were offered only to students with disabilities. They were discontinued after the class of 2015. In 2000, New York State Alternative Assessments (NYSAA) program was first administered allowing students with severe cognitive disabilities to complete a datafolio-style assessment to demonstrate their performance toward achieving the New York State learning standards.
The Latin, German, Greek, and Hebrew language exams were removed after the 2009–10 school year, and the remaining language exams (Italian, Spanish, and French) were removed after the 2010–11 school year. Previously, a Regents foreign language exam was an option that would allow for Regents Exam with Advanced Designation. Currently, local school districts can develop their own exams to assess foreign language competency and allow for students to meet the Advanced Designation requirement.
The June 2020, August 2020, and January 2021, then later, August 2021 and January 2022 exams were not administered as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Only four of the ten exams were administered in June 2021.
Active exams and composition Most Regents exams consist of a single three-hour testing period. The exception is the Earth Science exam, which consists of a 41-minute (approximate) laboratory component, known as the Earth Science lab practical, given around two weeks prior to the three-hour exam. The Regents exams are administered in January, June, and August.
The Chemistry, Earth Science, and Physics examinations are currently labeled as part of the "Physical Setting" of science. However, all of the exams will soon be renamed and modified in realignment to the NYS Next Generation Learning Standards (NGLS). This rollout began with the Algebra I exam in June 2024, then Geometry, Earth and Space Sciences, and Life Science: Biology in June 2025, followed by Algebra II, Chemistry, Physics, and English Language Arts in June 2026.
+ Active exams and composition Exam Part I Part II Part III Part IV Citations Algebra I 24 multiple-choice questions 6 open-ended questions 4 open-ended questions 1 open-ended question Algebra II 24 multiple-choice questions 8 open-ended questions 4 open-ended questions 1 open-ended question Chemistry 30 multiple-choice questions Mix of 35 multiple-choice and open-ended questions 20 open-ended questions Earth Science 35 multiple-choice questions 15 multiple-choice and 15 open-ended questions 20 open-ended questions English Language Arts 24 multiple-choice questions Source-based argument essay Text-analysis response Geometry 24 multiple-choice questions 7 open-ended questions 3 open-ended questions 1 open-ended question Global History and Geography II 28 multiple-choice questions in chronological order from earliest to latest 2 sets of constructive-response questions, 3 questions in each set 1 essay question based on five documents. Living Environment 30 multiple-choice questions Mix of 25 multiple-choice and open-ended questions 17 open-ended questions Mix of 13 multiple-choice and open-ended questions Physics 35 multiple-choice questions 15 multiple-choice and 15 open-ended questions 20 open-ended questions United States History and Government (Framework) 28 multiple-choice questions in chronological order from earliest to latest 2 short-essay questions 6 document-based questions and 1 essay question
+NGLS Examinations and compositions Exam Amount of Clusters Amount of Questions Citations Life Science: Biology 9-11 Mix of 45-55 multiple-choice and open-ended questions Earth & Space Sciences 9-11 Mix of 45-55 multiple-choice and open-ended questions Chemistry 9-11 Mix of 45-55 multiple-choice and open-ended questions Physics Unknown Unknown
Interpreting scores A score of 85-100 is considered a Level 5, a score of 76-84 is considered a Level 4, a score of 65-75 is considered a Level 3, a 55-64 is considered a Level 2, and below a 55 is considered a Level 1 (failing).
Score appeals Examination scores can be appealed to the local Superintendent or leader of the school district and regraded at a new location. A student can appeal no more than two of their scores.
Changes 2000s In 2005, the Board of Regents began modifying the mathematics curriculum. An integrated approach that taught topics in geometry and algebra during each of three years, with exams like “Math A” and “Math B” normally taken after a year and a half and again after three years, was replaced by a curriculum that divides topics into Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II. Each of these take the form of a one-year course with a Regents Examination at the end of the year.
The format of the laboratory practical for Earth Science was changed in 2008. Currently, it consists of three sections, each with a time limit of nine minutes. While administering the test, there are multiple stations for each section. Each station uses different data, but the same task. For example, each section 1 station may have different rocks and minerals, though the task is the same.
2010s In 2010, German, Latin, and Hebrew Regents foreign language exams were cancelled, and students studying those languages are now allowed to take a locally developed examination to demonstrate competency. On May 16, 2011, in the face of an $8 million budget gap, the remaining foreign language exams (French, Italian, and Spanish) were eliminated, although districts may administer locally developed foreign language exams to let students attain a Regents Diploma with Advanced Designation.
In addition, all tests administered during the month of January were to be canceled. In August 2011, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and five private donors contributed funds to ensure that the Regents was administered in January 2012.
Regent scores are invalid for students that need three or fewer points to pass and are from schools that are viewed as struggling; such students can move on to next course without a regent score.
Beginning in January 2011, the English Language Arts exam was reduced from a six-hour exam to a three-hour exam. The exam still contains essay components, but has greater emphasis on reading comprehension and less on writing.
Students graduating in 2012 (who were 9th grade students in 2008) were the first cohort of students required to take all five Regents exams with a passing score of 65 and obtain a Regents Diploma to graduate. Previously, school districts had been permitted to offer a Local Diploma, with less stringent requirements than the Regents Diploma. Requirements have gradually been increased in recent years.
Test security procedures were heightened in response to the Stuyvesant High School cheating scandal. Effective August 2012, test proctors must collect and hold electronic devices for the duration of the exams; students are no longer permitted to have these devices on or near them. Previously, possession of electronic devices was allowed as long as they were not in use.
The Regents exams in English Language Arts and Algebra I were changed to incorporate the Common Core Standards starting in June 2014. In June 2015, the Regents Exam in Geometry was aligned with CCLS. Additionally, in June 2016, Algebra II was aligned with CCLS as well. High school students will be allowed to continue graduating with minimum scores of 65 on state exams until 2022.Regents retreat on some testing, evaluation requirements; URL accessed May 4, 2014. At that point, required scores would rise to 75 for the English Language Arts exam and 80 in algebra—levels deemed evidence of readiness for college.
In 2015, New York began administering computer-based standardized tests.
In August 2017, the Board of Regents approved changes to the Global History and Geography exam. Instead of a comprehensive examination that covers material from two years, the new exam will cover information taught only in the 10th grade (1750–present). The new exam will also have a revised format: instead of 50 multiple choice questions, there will be only 30, but they will still be worth 55% of the grade. The thematic essay and document based question remain unchanged.
2020s